On May 18th, Detroit’s East Village neighborhood will celebrate the grand opening of the Little Village, an innovative arts and community campus including The Shepherd, a historic Romanesque-style church that will create a new exhibition space, and also house a branch of artist Asmaa Walton’s Black Art Library and the headquarters of McArthur Binion’s Modern Ancient Brown Foundation.
Outside, visitors will enjoy The Nave, a sprawling two-and-a-half acres of green space, as well as a sculpture park honoring the legacy of the late Detroit-based artist Charles McGee—whose work will be on view at The Shepherd’s opening. In addition, neighboring properties have been repurposed to provide housing and studio space for local artists, priced below market rate to mitigate the negative effects of gentrification.
Spearheaded by JJ and Anthony Curis, co-founders of Library Street Collective, a tastemaking gallery located in downtown Detroit, the development of the Little Village has been a collaborative effort involving key stakeholders from the community. Rochelle Riley, the city of Detroit’s director of arts and culture, as well as members from the East Village Association and Jefferson East, Inc. consulted on the project to ensure the Little Village preserves the history, culture, and values of the neighborhood and its community members.
In this sense, the project aims to provide a space for the local community, while also acknowledging the need for artists to build sustainable careers in the area, Anthony from Library Street Collective noted “At some point along the way, there was a realization that we can have a community-driven mission in the city while also providing a sustainable and resourceful program for our growing artist network. This was the ‘light bulb’ moment in our journey…Everything that we’re doing is really about synergies—finding like-minded stakeholders, individuals, businesses, and community groups that can excel when everyone comes together.”
